The Spa topography fostered a stunning race for the final rehearsal before the 24 Hours of Le Mans next month, with heated exchanges, like the one between AF Corse's two Ferrari 488s driven by Sam Bird and Alessandro Pier Guidi.

Le Mans Series

FIA WEC

Here is the overview of the announcements made at the Automobile Club de l’Ouest on Friday 13 June, the eve of the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans.

<h2>1 - Hypercar and LMP2 regulations</h2>

The ACO and FIA officially announced the extension of the Hypercar regulations until the end of 2032, giving manufacturers and teams unprecedented long-term visibility.&nbsp; The Asian Le Mans Series will be accepting entries from private Hypercar teams from the 2026/7 season. The Hypercar family saluted the change, which will help teams ease into the top class. 
&nbsp; 
The modernised, simplified new-generation LMP2 class will be introduced in 2028. The two chassis constructors are: Oreca et Ligier Automotive. Gibson Technology will continue to be the sole supplier of engines for LMP2. The aim of the class is performance and reliability with a cap on costs. IMSA will adopt the regulations when they come into force.

<h2>2 - Continuation of the ACO / IMSA strategic alliance</h2>

The ACO and IMSA&rsquo;s decade-old partnership has been renewed until 2032, confirming the intention to build a coherent worldwide framework.&nbsp; Under the agreement, three IMSA teams are invited to take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Motul Petit Le Mans, which keeps its name. 
&nbsp;

<h2>3 - FIA WEC</h2>

The 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship calendar will comprise eight rounds, on four continents, underlining the discipline&rsquo;s world-class status. 
The WEC has received major recognition for it efforts:

<ul>
	<li>
	ISO 20121 CERTIFICATION for responsible event management;
	</li>
	<li>FIA three-star environmental accreditation, the highest level awarded for sustainability.</li>
</ul>

<h2>4 - Hydrogen</h2>

MissionH24 and Toyota Gazoo Racing officialised their partnership regarding the H24EVO&rsquo;s aerodynamics and cooling. 
The FIA has confirmed it is working actively with the ACO on hydrogen safety regulations and on the balance of performance between technologies. The aim to introduce a hydrogen class before the end of the decade is coming into clearer focus. 
&nbsp;

<h2>5 - CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY</h2>

The ACO reiterated its commitment to responsible endurance racing, translated in several concrete actions:

<ul>
	<li>
	The Sustainable Endurance Award by DHL, won this year by Ferrari - AF Corse in Hypercar, United Autosports in LMP2 and Porsche Penske Motorsport was awarded the President&rsquo;s prize. Akkodis won the LMGT3 class and the spectator&rsquo;s prize.&nbsp;
	</li>
	<li>
	The Impact Challenge for spectators comprises 170 missions to defend the interests of the planet and those who live on it. The contest is accessible via the 24H Experience app.
	</li>
</ul>

<h2>6 - Le Mans Classic</h2>

Le Mans Classic is to be an annual event as of next year. A new official support race named Legends of Le Mans will feature at certain WEC rounds, as a bridge between past and future at the world&rsquo;s most beautiful circuits.

Don&rsquo;t miss the start of the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans at 16:00 CET on Saturday 14 June!&nbsp;

Overview of the ACO press conference announcements

The second Porsche Sprint Challenge France race and the first of two rounds in the Ford Mustang Challenge entertained the fans eager for track action this morning. This afternoon, the public is invited to stroll, run, cycle, roller-skate or ride a kick scooter around the famous circuit.

<h2>Victor Blugeon doubles up in the Porsche Sprint Challenge France</h2>

Perfect weather greeted the competitors lining up for the second 45-minute Porsche Sprint Challenge race. This time, Martinet by Almeras driver Enzo Jouli&eacute; (#97 Porsche 911 Type 992 GT3 Cup) was in pole positiion after yesterday&rsquo;s second qualifying session. Alongside him was the mighty Victor Blugeon (#74 Porsche, ABM), winner of race 1 yesterday, followed by Karl Vandewoestine (#45 Porsche, 2B Autosport).

Blugeon shot out of the starting blocks and snatched the lead from the off. However, the racers had not even completed their first lap when the safety car interrupted the fun owing to an incident in the Dunlop Chicane. When the track returned to green, Blugeon managed to hold on to the advantage gained over Jouli&eacute;, but anything was still possible, especially with the experienced Sylvain No&euml;l of Racing Technology (#111 Porsche), who competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans back in 2001, in the hunt. A fierce battle ensued over the following laps, but the race leader was in hot form.

As expected, Blugeon took the chequered flag over six seconds ahead of Vandewoestine and Jouli&eacute;. The winner has increased his lead at the top of the championship standings, as has Lucas Glinche (#72 Porsche GT4 RS Clubsport, Glinche Racing), who has dominated every session this week in the GT4 RS class.

<h2>Cameron McLeod wins the opening Mustang Challenge race</h2>

Cameron McLeod (#92, Ryan McLeod Racing Cars) had the advantage of heading the 39-strong Mustang Dark Horse R posse when the greenn flag signalled the start of the 45-minute race. He held rank, refusing to yield to Sam Paley (#26, Paley Motorsport). Tthe two drivers attempted to open up a gap over their closest rivals but the chasing pack organised a fight-back. Marco Signoretti (#97) and Matt Nicoll-Jones (#62) from Academy Motorsport worked together, bump drafting to create a slipstream and find top speed down the Mulsanne Straight.

Gaps began to open up at the front after 15 minutes of racing, at the start of the fourth lap. McLeod now held a full four-second lead over Paley. Further down the field, around eighth place, it was a much closer affair: Alex Bachoura (#33 Spark Performance) led Robert Noaker (#13 Robert Noaker Racing) and Nathan Vanspringel (#95 TeamFloral). Noaker got the bit between his teeth and shook up the order. Despite being regularly quickest in practice, Noaker had seen his qualifying times wiped out due to a splitter height infringement. Starting at the rear of the grid in 39th place, he galloped through the field to climb the standings: 19th after one lap, 13th after three and eighth at the start of the fifth! His cavalcade finally ended in sixth place.

Behind the untouchable McLeod, followed by Paley, Signoretti and Nicoll-Jones &ndash; albeit teammates &ndash; engaged in a battle for the third spot on the podium. Nicoll-Jones crept up on his Academy Motorsport buddy before Indianapolis and overtook with authority. A masterstroke in one of the quickest parts of the circuit. Was that going to be enough? No! Signoretti refused to give in. The pair rubbed door handles as they sped through the series of turns at a breathtaking pace, producing lap times that were faster than McLeod&rsquo;s. Unfortunately, David Wall (#38 Wall Racing) went off at the Karting turn and the red flags were brought out, putting a damper on the thrilling tussle.. McLeod was crowned winner ahead of Paley and Signoretti.

In 19th place was none other than Ford CEO Jim Farley, who had come over from the USA to induulge in the pleasure of racing a Mustang on the full 13.6-km Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans.

2025 24 Hours of Le Mans – Clear winners in the support races on Friday 13 June

The FIA World Endurance Championship will feature an unchanged calendar of events in 2026, as the series bids to build upon its burgeoning momentum and popularity.

The FIA World Endurance Championship will feature an unchanged calendar of events in 2026, as the series bids to build upon its burgeoning momentum and popularity.

Last year saw more than 750,000 fans pour through the gates over the course of the season&rsquo;s eight rounds, and with a record on-site attendance at Spa-Francorchamps last month &ndash; and a huge crowd expected at this weekend&rsquo;s 93rd edition of the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans &ndash; the current campaign looks set to raise the bar even higher.

For the third consecutive season, FIA WEC will visit five different regions in 2026 &ndash; Europe, North America, South America, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. The action will begin a month later than usual in Qatar, as Lusail International Circuit hosts the traditional &lsquo;Prologue&rsquo; group test and curtain-raising contest in late March.

The championship will subsequently return to Europe for rounds two, three and four at Imola in Italy, Spa in Belgium and Le Mans in France for the most famous circuit race in the world. The second half of the campaign then consists of long-haul contests, as competitors travel overseas to S&atilde;o Paulo in Brazil in July, Austin in the US and Japan&rsquo;s iconic Fuji International Speedway in September and finally, Bahrain International Circuit, where champions will be crowned in early November.

<h2>FIA WEC extends winning Hypercar formula</h2>

The regulations in FIA WEC&rsquo;s top-tier Hypercar class will be extended until the end of 2032, further strengthening the successful category as a stable, long-term formula.

Introduced in 2021, the Hypercar platform has blossomed over its five years of competition to-date, with the grid expanding from just three manufacturers in its inaugural season to eight in the current FIA WEC campaign &ndash; and at least three more are on the way in the shape of Genesis, Ford and McLaren.

This unprecedented manufacturer involvement has been instrumental in driving the recent growth and popularity of the world championship, and in light of that momentum, the Hypercar homologation cycle &ndash; initially set to conclude in 2029 &ndash; will now remain in place until the end of 2032.

<a href="https://fiawec.tv/page/679a56921229db49627128a6" target="_blank">Watch FIA WEC live</a>&nbsp;or on-demand via the official FIA WEC TV app &ndash; your full-access pass to the FIA World Endurance Championship including the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans. Don&rsquo;t miss a moment. For further information, check out the app.

FIA WEC confirms 2026 calendar

The new-look Hyperpole, spread over two days, saw spectacular progress from teams looking to bag the top spot and the limelight that goes with it. Cadillac has locked out the front row and its two Hypercars will head the race start at 16:00 tomorrow. It’s the American make’s first pole position in La Sarthe. A surprise? Not really.

<h2>Cadillac has one goal this week: victory</h2>

Since this week&rsquo;s first track action on <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/24-hours-of-le-mans-test-day-key-figures-59709">Test Day</a> each of the 62 crews has their own preparation drill to attain peak performance for the 24-hour marathon. Cadillac began discretely. While Toyota and Ferrari played the flamboyant leader role, the <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/the-cadillac-v-series-r-under-the-microscope-ready-to-roar-for-america-at-le-mans-59659" target="_blank">V-Series.R</a> was doing its groundwork. The #311, #12, #38 and #101 Cadillacs totalled 253 laps, which amounts to over 3450 kilometres.

In Free Practice, the competition shifted up a gear. The two Jota Sport Cadillacs have ranked in the Hypercar top 10 in every session this week. The #12 and #38 topped the tables in the qualifying sessions and FP1. What does that show? That the gold-painted cars have good pace over a lap, and over longer distances. In terms of pure performance, Whelen (the #311) is on a par with the others. Driver Jack Aitken set a new Hypercar track record of 3:22.742.

Aitken is one of only three drivers to have broken the 3:23 barrier so far this week &shy;- the other two being Alex Lynn (3:22.847) and Dries Vanthoor in the #15 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 (3:22.87). Does that mean a Cadillac-BMW head-to-head?

One thing is certain, the two makes, which both have a Dallara chassis, will be ahead at first. The two <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/the-bmw-m-hybrid-v8-under-the-microscope-a-return-to-winning-ways-at-le-mans-59713">B</a><a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/the-bmw-m-hybrid-v8-under-the-microscope-a-return-to-winning-ways-at-le-mans-59713">MWs</a>&nbsp;start the race in P4 (#15) and P6 (#20). Porsche, in P3 (#5) and P5 (#4) is progressing much in the same way as Cadillac. They clocked 254 laps on Test Day, with competitive times. But the Americans have taken the first advantage. Will they still have the upper hand after 24 hours?

<h2>Friends and enemies</h2>

In <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/2025-24-hours-of-le-mans-presentation-of-the-lmp2-category-59645">LMP2</a>, three cars stand out: the #29 TDS Racing, the #43 Inter Europol Competition and the #199 AO by TF.&nbsp;

The drivers of the three cars were eyeing each other. Defying each other. Mathias Beche took over from Cl&eacute;ment Novalak in the #29, Tom Dillmann replaced Nick Yelloly in the #43, and Dane Cameron passed the wheel of the #199 to Louis Del&eacute;traz. The six &ndash; all among the ten fastest drivers in the class &ndash; are on another level.

Will one of these crews make the top step of the podium? Who knows? The experienced United Autosports is only a few tenths away. Richard Dean and Zak Brown&rsquo;s British/American team is the only one to have placed two cars in Hyperpole 2. Last year the United Autosports crew Bijoy Garg/Oliver Jarvis/ Nolan Siegel won the class. They may be biding their time. Ready to pounce.

<h2>LMGT3s on a speed spree</h2>

The race promises to be a dust-up in <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/2025-24-hours-of-le-mans-presentation-of-the-lmgt3-category-59644">LMGT3</a>, with eight makes wrangling for Hyperpole in the last session. Individual performance is important, but class rules impose a bronze driver in each crew, so speed is not the only factor. Just as in LMP2, the timesheets do not tell the whole story.

Several numbers come up often, indicating where the strengths lie: the #46 BMW M4 LMGT3 of Team WRT &ndash; very well handled by Ahmad Al Harthy, <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/valentino-rossi-to-take-part-in-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-for-the-second-time-59256">Valentino Rossi</a> and Kelvin Van Der Linde &ndash;&nbsp;is often in front. The Akkodis ASP Team #78 Lexus RC F LMGT3 driven by Arnold Robin/Jack Hawksworth/Finn Gehrsitz was in the top three in three out of seven sessions. And of course, the Porsches are always in the picture: the Manthey 1ST Phorm #92 911 GT3 R in the hands of the three Rs &ndash; Ryan Hardwick, Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz is capable of winning. Do we need to remind you that Porsche won the first LMGT3 class last year?

This is only the second year for this class at Le Mans, which explains why the times are bettered session after session. Not to be outdone by Hypercar, LMGT3 has a new track record too. Benjamin Barker&rsquo;s 3:55.263 record set last year has been bettered by no less than eight cars already this year. Aston Martin, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Lexus, McLaren,&nbsp;Mercedes and Porsche have all gone faster.

There is plenty of room for improvement in LMGT3, and plenty of competition too.

<h2>The 93rd 24 Hours Of Le Mans starting grid</h2>

<a href="https://fiawec.tv/page/679a56921229db49627128a6" target="_blank">Watch all the action from the FIA World Endurance Championship</a>, including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, live or on demand with the FIA WEC TV official app!&nbsp;Don&rsquo;t miss a thing!&nbsp;Check out the app for further information.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans starting grid

WEC 6 Heures de Spa-Francorchamps 2017

A one-two in the LMGTE Pro class for Ferrari and&nbsp;AF Corse, and a one-two in LMP1 for Toyota in front of&nbsp;61,000 spectators who braved the gloomy&nbsp;weather and the&nbsp;few raindrops&nbsp;that hit the magnificent Spa-Francorchamps circuit during the six-hour race of the World Endurance&nbsp;Championship&nbsp;(FIA WEC).

Video: YouTube - FIAWEC

24H LE MANS

WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps highlights (video)

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The 24 Hours of Le Mans starting grid

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